Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
44 Main Street South, Seaforth, Ontario
( Year built: 1905 )
Simon Powell, and later Dr. T.T. Coleman, owned this lot and the one behind it backing onto Victoria Street. Powell had a hotel stable on the back lot and this was the only building here until the Canadian Bank of Commerce was relocated and the present building was erected in 1905.
Advertisment Above Left: As seen in The Huron Expositor May 6, 1881. Above Right Photo: The Canadian Bank of Commerce in the Dominion Block at 94 Main Street Seaforth.
The CIBC building is a good example of the Classical Revival style of architecture. The four engaged columns supporting the entablature and pediment are distinctive elements of this style. These columns are made of wood. Dentils outline the deep triangular pediment. The entablature, as you can see in the above right photograph, once displayed the bank’s name.
Left Photo: The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce as it is today. The name was changed in 1961.
The red brick is accented by white stone, in particular the large quoins of white stone at the corners and the foundation of rusticated stone. The doorway, up three steps from the sidewalk, has square stone projections topped by lights. The doorway is flanked by rectangular windows topped by concrete straight-moulded labels with imitation keystone. Above the doorway, and the sign above it, is a cornice supported by three brackets between the two central columns and projecting beyond the columns. Between the columns are three square windows on the second floor. This impressive structure was built by Seaforth contractors. It cost slightly over $10,000.
Long before the Canadian Bank of Commerce built the present bank, it opened a branch in Seaforth on December 19, 1878. The bank was then located in the Dominion Block just south of the Commercial Hotel.
The Dominion Block was built in 1874 by Will-iam Elliott and Alex Armitage. When it was completed later that year, what was then The Royal Canadian Bank, moved from the Com-mercial Hotel building and into the north section of this block of three stores.
In the 1880s, Charles St.Clair Simpson was the bank’s accountant and William. Blackwell was the Teller. When the Bank of Commerce moved to its new location, the Bank Manager was G.E. Parks, the Accountant was D. Kennedy, and the Teller was W.H. James. The bank’s manager from 1918 to 1932 was James Mullen, who lived in the Lorne Villa.
 |
|
Click here to download a printer friendly version of the Historic Seaforth - Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce web page in Adobe PDF format. The PDF file size is: (206 kb)
Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 (or higher) is required to open and view any Adobe PDF files. Please visit the link to obtain your free copy of this software.
